Crowley felt the weight of a gaze burning into his back, the familiar intensity of those icy blue eyes. Without turning, he smirked.

"Mika, is there something you want from me?" His voice dripped with a dark, honeyed amusement.

"I'm just observing," Mika replied, his tone flat, emotionless.

Crowley chuckled lowly, a sound that seemed to hum in the air like a warning. "Me? What's so fascinating about little old me? I'm not exactly a spectacle." His crimson eyes flickered with mockery as he rose from his seat.

Mika said nothing, his silence louder than words.

Crowley stretched, feigning nonchalance, though he was acutely aware of the younger vampire shadowing him as he began to move through the dimly lit hall. "Privacy is a thing, you know. Or has Ferid not taught you basic etiquette?" His words teased, sharp but wrapped in velvet.

Still, Mika trailed behind him like a phantom. Crowley finally stopped, tilting his head as if inspecting a puzzle. "Ah," he purred, his voice darkening, "could it be that you're afraid? Afraid that I, too, might crave your precious Yu's blood?"

The air grew heavy. Mika's hand instinctively went to the hilt of his sword, his grip firm, his expression cold. The tension was palpable, crackling between them like a storm about to break.

Crowley laughed softly, the sound sinister, almost seductive. "Touchy, aren't we? You and I both know how this would end, Mikaela. But I must admit, I admire your conviction. Protecting Yu at all costs, no matter how futile. It's... endearing."

Mika remained frozen, his gaze unwavering even as Crowley closed the distance between them. His presence was overwhelming, a predator's aura wrapping around Mika like a vice. The taller vampire reached out, his fingers brushing Mika's shoulder with an almost intimate familiarity.

"You really should learn caution, Mika," Crowley whispered, his tone low and intimate, like a lover's secret. "If I were any other vampire, you'd already be dead. And Yu... well, he wouldn't fare much better."

Mika's jaw tightened, his teeth clenched as Crowley withdrew his hand, slow and deliberate, savoring the tension like a fine wine.

"Let me offer you a piece of advice," Crowley continued, his voice carrying a quiet menace. "If you're going to play this game—this dangerous, reckless game—you'll need to be smarter. Ferid, Guren... they'll crush you if you keep wearing your heart on your sleeve."

The mention of those names struck a nerve. Mika's teeth ground together, the fire in his eyes threatening to break through the icy mask he wore.

"And why would you care to tell me this?" Mika hissed, his voice low and venomous. "Aren't you on their side?"

Crowley threw his head back in a sharp laugh, the sound echoing eerily through the dark corridor. "Their side? Don't flatter yourself with such simple notions. I'm not on anyone's side. You feel it, don't you? The emptiness creeping in? The way this... existence... strips you of purpose, of emotions, of desires—except for blood, of course."

He turned, his crimson eyes gleaming as he looked down at Mika. "I follow those who amuse me, Mika. That's all. For now, Ferid and Guren are entertaining. But who knows? You might surprise me yet."

With that, Crowley began to walk away, his steps slow, deliberate, as if daring Mika to follow. Over his shoulder, he cast one final, lingering glance. "Now go back to your precious Yu before you lose even the faintest shred of humanity you have left. And Mika?"

He paused, his voice dipping into something even darker, more dangerous. "Good luck. You're going to need it."

Mika stared after him, the word reverberating in his mind like a curse.

"Luck?" he murmured to himself, the bitter taste of it settling deep in his chest.

-END-